Abstract
Abstract The mining of underground deposits causes the inflow of water to workings and the necessity of pumping them to the surface. The mining plant of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. extracts copper ore in plant branches with different hydrogeological conditions. The inflowing water into the workings is characterised by variable mineralisation, which depends on the location of the branch. In the south-western part of the deposit, a low-mineralised stream with a relatively high flow rate can be observed, while the outflow of highly saline waters occurs in the north-eastern branch. Despite the activities undertaken that aim at using the pumped-off mine waters industrially, it is necessary to deposit them into the Odra River. Reducing the environmental impact on the Odra River is one of KGHM's goals, which is being implemented by stabilising its salt concentration at a safe level. The paper presents the results of a 3D simulation of brine plume propagation based on a numerical model of advection–diffusion and turbulent flow. Bathymetric data from a section of the river approximately 500 m long and point data from an Odra water quality test were used to develop and validate the model. The paper discusses the types of factors that minimise the impact of brine discharge. The developed model will be used in the future to propose solutions that accelerate the mixing of mine waters with the waters of the Odra River.
Highlights
The mining of underground deposits causes the inflow of water to workings and the necessity of pumping them to the surface
A comparison of these values shows that the 2.0 m3 s-1 and for smaller flows, the assumed uniformity difference between the maximum concentration and the may not be met and the outflow velocity from nozzles velocity for grids (ii) and (iii) is 1.5% and 0.7%, respectively. located close to the right bank of the river may be lower
Calculations were performed for the following condition: six flow rates of the Odra River ranging from 41 to 318 m3 s-1, in which the lowest value corresponded to the low flow that occurred on the Odra River in 2015 and the highest value corresponded to a flow rate 50% higher than the
Summary
Abstract: The mining of underground deposits causes the inflow of water to workings and the necessity of pumping them to the surface. The inflowing water into the workings is characterised by variable mineralisation, which depends on the location of the branch. Despite the activities undertaken that aim at using the pumped-off mine waters industrially, it is necessary to deposit them into the Odra River. The paper presents the results of a 3D simulation of brine plume propagation based on a numerical model of advectiondiffusion and turbulent flow. Bathymetric data from a section of the river approximately 500 m long and point data from an Odra water quality test were used to develop and validate the model.
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